


Trust

by musicofthespheres



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: 3 year gap, F/M, Ficlet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 10:58:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17222735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicofthespheres/pseuds/musicofthespheres
Summary: How Bulma gains Vegeta's trust.





	Trust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BearstarSeraph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BearstarSeraph/gifts).



> Based on the commentary on [this post](https://bearstarseraphffxi.tumblr.com/post/181262685711/the-reason-i-like-this-version-better-even-though) by BearstarSeraph.

Pushing boundaries: that was Bulma’s forte. It had gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion, but she wasn’t about to let the odd failed experiment or upset almost-friend stop her. Ever since the age of 16 when she’d travelled the world in search of the dragon balls, she had been the very definition of “step outside your comfort zone,” often declaring after the fact that her reckless actions had been “for science.” 

So when Vegeta came along with his tough, I-could-kill-you-all attitude with all his talk of annihilation and surpassing Kakarot, she knew she had her work cut out for her. 

It started small, testing the waters with a bold comment here and a clandestine wink there. And hey, it wasn’t so bad: so far she was still _here_ , wasn’t she? There was no smoking crater where she once stood, and all of her limbs were still intact. She surmised that the surly prince just needed someone to give a damn about him. 

And, because she was Bulma Freakin’ Briefs, of course she was right. It wasn’t long before she had the prince practically wrapped around her finger. He followed her when she beckoned him, shut his angry mouth when she told him in no uncertain terms to _be quiet, I’m working!_ and wore all manner of clothing when she told him he must. Her favorite was Yamcha’s old pink Badman shirt, the one he bought when he was going through his cool “tough-guy” phase but which was soon lost amid the piles of commandeered clothing in Bulma’s bedroom. Vegeta had balked and groused at having to wear it, calling it bizarre, but he’d readily put it on when Bulma told him it was simply the style on earth. 

And that was when Bulma _knew_. Knew he trusted her, that despite his headstrong attitude and argumentative nature, he would look to her for guidance when he was lost and floundering in this strange world called earth. She recognized in him what she’d felt in herself growing up: he was an outsider, and he needed someone to show him the way. 

She was more than happy to be that someone, even when her ego was bruised by his single-minded focus to excel. Even when she felt abandoned, when he owed her the world but felt obligated to no one but himself.   
But especially when he returned to her, held her, and whispered her name in his sleep--she was more than happy then to guide him home.


End file.
